Short answer
To keep on top of salon stock, you need to count retail and backwash products regularly, record every item used or sold at checkout, and set clear reorder thresholds. Tracking stock levels as they change prevents you from running out of popular shampoos or holding too much cash in excess boxes of colour on your shelves.
Count retail and professional stock separately
Separate your inventory. Retail stock and professional stock are two different things, and they behave differently in your business. Retail items sit on shelves waiting for a client to buy them, while professional stock gets mixed in the backwash or colour area. If you mix the two together during your count, you won't get an accurate picture of what's selling and what's being used on clients.
Set a regular schedule for physical counts. Monthly counts work well for retail products because they let you spot slow-moving bottles before they gather dust. Professional products, especially colour tubes and developers, need a weekly check. You don't want to find yourself with three half-empty tubes of a popular shade on a busy Friday morning.
Log every item at the till
Scan every sale. Every bottle of retail shampoo that goes out the door must be scanned at checkout. When a stylist grabs a bottle of professional shampoo for the backwash, it has to be marked as salon use immediately. If someone forgets to log these items, your records will show stock that isn't actually there.
Your checkout software handles this tracking automatically when you use it properly. Luminate's product inventory feature links directly to the quick POS checkout, updating your stock levels the moment a sale is made. This means you don't have to keep a clipboard by the shelf to write down every item.
Set minimum stock thresholds
Establish order triggers. You don't need to order ten boxes of the same developer if you only use two a week. Holding too much stock ties up your cash flow, leaving less money for payroll or bills. On the other hand, running out of a popular retail styling cream means you lose a sale when a client is ready to buy.
Look at your sales records to see how fast each product sells, and establish a minimum level for every item. When your stock of a certain hairspray drops to three bottles, that is your trigger to order more hairspray. This threshold keeps your shelves full without locking up your cash in excess boxes.
What this means for your salon
Keeping tight control of your inventory means you'll stop wasting cash on products that sit on the shelf for months. You'll always have the right colour shades ready for your clients, and your retail sales will become a reliable source of extra revenue. It's a simple habit that keeps your business running smoothly and protects your cash flow.